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Pokémon Go will be getting remote raiding, and Niantic has shed a little light on how the new feature will work (via Eurogamer).
The remote raiding ability has been added in response to the pandemic, which has reduced and restricted movement in many countries to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Previously, Pokémon Go players needed to be physically close to a Gym in order to join its raid. In the future, players will be able to drop into any raid that pops up on their map or Nearby view.
Remote Raid Passes are a new type of raid pass that will allow players to access these raids from wherever they happen to be. But, only a select number of remote raiders are permitted in each raid, and players will only be able to hold a given number of Remote Raid Passes at a time. Remote raiders will inflict damage equal to raiders who are physically present at the Gym. Niantic did infer that the damage value will be decreased in a future update, so remote raiding may be a permanent addition.
Niantic will roll out a Remote Raid Pass bundle priced at one Poké Coin in the in-game shop. On top of that, players will look forward to a daily bonus Field Research task that triggers at midnight, without the need to spin a PokéStop to collect it. This task will be drawn from a range tailored to activities that are achievable regardless of location. The midnight task will be added even if the player has three research tasks in the Field Research slots.
And, the player’s Buddy will be able to find gifts holding useful items and bring them to their Trainer. In an upcoming update, players will be able to power up Pokémon in the boxes multiple times, instead of one at a time, if their Candy and Stardust reserves permit it. Star Pieces, Lucky Eggs and Incense items will be chainable so that their effects are maximised over the course of the day, and battles will get a rework to display types and super-effective moves. Finally, the in-game shop will show when there are new items or when there is an active sale.
In spite of its exergame mechanics and the lockdowns around the world, Pokémon Go is raking in cash. The game accrued over $50 million in player spending in the month of March, even though Community Day and Raid Hours have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. Currently, its Spring Event 2020 is in full swing, offering event-exclusive research tasks that may reward the player with an Audino.
Pokémon Go is out now for Android and iOS devices.
